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Dr Iain Williamson

Job: Senior Lecturer/ Programme Leader MSc Health Psychology

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: School of Applied Social Sciences

Research group(s): Psychology

Address: De Montfort, University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

T: +44 (0)116 207 8393

E: iwilliamson@dmu.ac.uk

W: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/hls

 

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Personal profile

Dr Iain Williamson is a critical health psychologist who is registered  with the Health Professions Council and chartered with the British Psychological Society. Dr Williamson uses qualitative methods in his research and has a particular interest in issues around diversity and health inequalities in marginalised communities.

Publications and outputs

  • Transitioning services for eating disorder treatment, the relative importance of factors from patient, carer and clinician perspectives: a Q-methodology study
    dc.title: Transitioning services for eating disorder treatment, the relative importance of factors from patient, carer and clinician perspectives: a Q-methodology study dc.contributor.author: Wales, Jackie; Brewin, Nicola; Williamson, I. R.; Štický, Jakub; Lawrence, Rachael; Eivors, Alison dc.description.abstract: Purpose Effective transitions from child and adolescent to adult services are important for continuity of care for patients with eating disorders. This study aims to examine the relative importance of a series of statements about the transition process, elicited from an earlier service evaluation, from the perspectives of patients, parents/carers and clinicians. Design/methodology/approach Twenty-eight participants completed a Q-sort task ranking 40 statements, developed from an earlier study, using a normal distribution pattern on a scale, which ranged from strongly agree to strongly disagree, to identify their priorities for transition. Analysis resulted in the extraction of four factors explaining 52% of the variance. Findings Four distinct factors were elicited: “parents and carers need including too”, “facilitating effective transfer between services”, “supporting the patient through transition” and providing “timely, patient-centred care”. The study enabled similarities and differences in priorities to be observed for the three respondent groups. Practical implications These rankings, noting the differences between the respondent groups, can be used to inform the development of effective transition protocols. This study suggests these protocols should ensure a person-centred approach; timely planning; include parents/carers; provide continuous care and have good transfer of information and sensible timing of transitions. Differences in priorities/opinions can be addressed through open communication channels. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first UK-wide study examining priorities for transition from the perspectives of patients, parents/carers and clinicians.
  • Researching Local Public Health Priorities in The Locked Down City Using Online Community Focus Groups: Reflections and Recommendations
    dc.title: Researching Local Public Health Priorities in The Locked Down City Using Online Community Focus Groups: Reflections and Recommendations dc.contributor.author: Williamson, I. R.; Lond, Benjamin J.; Hart, Tania; Clifton, Andrew; Ochieng, B. dc.description.abstract: In this commentary paper we reflect on our experiences of conducting two qualitative public health projects in Leicester UK around health inequalities and marginalised groups during the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. To contextualise the commentary, we first provide information about Leicester and how and why it was disproportionately affected by the pandemic, as well as describing the origins, aims, and methodologies of the two projects. In the second half, we describe and evaluate some of the adaptations we made to our studies and conclude with suggestions for future qualitative community health research as we adapt to the post-pandemic research landscape. dc.description: Open access article
  • Understanding the lived-experience and support-needs of people living with antimicrobial resistance in the UK through interpretative phenomenological analysis
    dc.title: Understanding the lived-experience and support-needs of people living with antimicrobial resistance in the UK through interpretative phenomenological analysis dc.contributor.author: Hamilton, Ryan A.; Lond, Benjamin; Wilde, Lucina; Williamson, I. R. dc.description.abstract: In the UK nearly 54,000 infections were caused by serious resistant bacteria in 2022 but there is a lack of evidence regarding the long-term impact on patients’ lives nor what support they need. This research aimed to answer the question: “What are the key elements of experience and support needs of people living with AMR in the UK?”. In-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken with nine people who had been living with resistant infections or colonisation for 12-months or longer. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used to study the accounts and illustrate individuals’ experiences and support-needs. Participants experienced marginalisation and isolation but also empowerment; described across three major themes: (1) I live in fear and stigma: The long-term impact of AMR; (2) I am battling on my own: A journey toward self-advocacy; and (3) I like to share my story: The role of AMR communities. All participants perceived a lack of knowledge, information, and support from clinicians; difficulties accessing reliable and understandable information; and lack of understanding from family and friends. Charities and online groups provided support with coping with their situation and improving mental health and wellbeing. Understandable and relatable information regarding the science of AMR, transmission, prevention, and living with AMR needs to be provided by clinicians and healthcare services around the time of diagnosis to readily available after diagnosis. dc.description: open access article
  • How multiple threats to safety affects quality of life for picky eating adults; a new explanatory model
    dc.title: How multiple threats to safety affects quality of life for picky eating adults; a new explanatory model dc.contributor.author: Fox, Gemma; Coulthard, Helen; Williamson, I. R.; Aldridge, V. K. dc.description.abstract: Picky eating describes a pattern of eating characterised by a narrow dietary range with rejection of both novel and familiar foods. Research has suggested that picky eating in adulthood is associated with several negative psychosocial outcomes including impaired quality of life. This research aimed to build and test a model explaining the relationship between picky eating and quality of life. 230 participants were recruited via online support forums for picky eating, and an undergraduate research participation scheme. Participants completed self-report measures of picky eating, sensory sensitivity, disgust, anxiety, fear of negative evaluation and eating related quality of life. Regression analysis indicated that picky eating, disgust sensitivity, anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation were all associated with impaired eating-related quality of life. A theoretical model was then devised which aimed to explain the interactions between these factors, and Path Analysis indicated that this model was a good fit for the data. This Safety in Picky Eating and Quality of life (SPEQ) model suggests that threat perception and the drive for safety underlies the relationship between picky eating and impaired quality of life. The SPEQ model provides a preliminary basis for understanding how picky eating impacts quality of life in adulthood. dc.description: open access article
  • A mixed-methods evaluation of ‘The Quest’, a health and well-being intervention for British-based Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic gay and bisexual men
    dc.title: A mixed-methods evaluation of ‘The Quest’, a health and well-being intervention for British-based Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic gay and bisexual men dc.contributor.author: Williamson, I. R.; Papaloukas, Periklis; Jaspal, Rusi dc.description.abstract: This article provides an evaluation of a health and well-being workshop based intervention, ‘The Quest’ for gay and bisexual men from British Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. A quantitative component assessed reported and intended sexual risk, drugs and alcohol use alongside measures of psychological well-being with pre and post programme data collected from 26 men. Fourteen men participated in focus groups which discussed experiences of the intervention. Significant improvements were found on measures of internalised homophobia, self-esteem and self-efficacy but not for health behaviours including safer sex or substance use. Qualitative feedback was generally positive especially around enhanced psychological well-being, identity integration, and enhanced self-awareness. There were some concerns over group size and whether non-BAME gay men were appropriate as facilitators. Theoretically-informed, culturally competent interventions can demonstrate significant potential in enhancing the well-being of BAME gay and bisexual men but follow-up data are needed to show longer-term benefits. dc.description: Data from evaluation project led by Public Health England The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
  • Living in the shadow of Lynch Syndrome: British women’s accounts
    dc.title: Living in the shadow of Lynch Syndrome: British women’s accounts dc.contributor.author: Heames, Lauren; Williamson, I. R.; Song, John; Lond, Benjamin dc.description.abstract: In this paper we explore accounts of eight British women living with Lynch Syndrome: a hereditary syndrome that increases the risk of developing bowel and gynecological cancers. We collected data via semi-structured interviews and analyzed them using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Two themes, 'It's Up to Us': The Lynch Patient Experience; and 'The Biggest Challenge': The Lynch Parent Experience, illustrate the experiential burden and emotional labor of living with Lynch Syndrome. We theorize our analysis through Corbin and Strauss's concept of 'Health Work', and Hochschild's concept of 'Emotion Work'. Recommendations for clinical care and familial support are discussed. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
  • “Stuck in a loop of fear”: a phenomenological exploration of carers’ experiences supporting a spouse with acquired brain injury
    dc.title: “Stuck in a loop of fear”: a phenomenological exploration of carers’ experiences supporting a spouse with acquired brain injury dc.contributor.author: Lond, Benjamin; Williamson, I. R. dc.description.abstract: Purpose: Family caregivers are important to facilitating the rehabilitation of individuals with brain injury. However, research shows spousal carers often reporting poorer health and well-being with psychosocial challenges including increased marital dissatisfaction. This study explores the accounts of participants caring for a spouse with brain injury. Materials and methods: This study used semi-structured interviewing and interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: One theme, “Living in and beyond the loop of fear”, with two subheadings is reported. Participants’ attempts to manage their fears prominently defined their early caregiving. Fears were aggravated by the vulnerability of their spouse’s health which partially owed to brain injury sometimes having no symptoms prior to its onset. Consequently, participants anxiously strove to prevent further harm to their spouse’s health due to what they perceived as the continued “hidden” threat of brain injury. Therefore, participants became hypervigilant, leaving themselves vulnerable to burnout. Over time, some participants modified care practices and managed fears using beliefs accepting their limits to protect their spouses’ health. Conclusions: Findings suggest that beliefs conducive to acceptance helped carers to develop more sustainable, less over-protective, care. Interventions to help carers develop similar beliefs could be provided in therapeutic settings. Recommendations for future research are made.
  • The lived experience of parenting a child with sensory sensitivity and picky eating
    dc.title: The lived experience of parenting a child with sensory sensitivity and picky eating dc.contributor.author: Cunliffe, Louise; Coulthard, Helen; Williamson, I. R. dc.description.abstract: ‘Picky eating’ is a common behaviour seen in childhood in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Sensory processing difficulties have been repeatedly associated with food refusal and picky eating behaviours. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of parents/caregivers who have a child displaying both sensory processing differences and picky eating behaviours utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants were recruited from social media support groups for parents of picky eating children. Pre-selection criteria utilised an adapted short sensory profile questionnaire to ensure the children displayed probable/definite taste-smell, audio-visual and tactile sensory sensitivities. Twelve participants fulfilling the required criteria were interviewed face to face utilising a semi-structured interview schedule. Interviews were transcribed and analysed following IPA guidelines and three common themes are presented here: Battling for control of the sensory environment, Living with stigma and, disapproval, and Staying positive and moving forward. The findings show the very considerable day-to-day challenges of parenting a child with sensory issues with food, including a lack of support and criticism from others. It was apparent that the parents in our study gradually adopted a positive and accepting attitude to their child’s eating. This acceptance allowed them to have positive interactions around food with their child such as cooking and playing with food, suggesting that experiential activities serve an important purpose in this population. Further research should examine whether parental interventions based on acceptance of child eating behaviour, and commitment to gradual positive food interactions would be the best strategy to support parents and children. dc.description: open access article
  • The Experience of Living with Mesothelioma: A Meta-ethnographic Review and Synthesis of the Qualitative Literature.
    dc.title: The Experience of Living with Mesothelioma: A Meta-ethnographic Review and Synthesis of the Qualitative Literature. dc.contributor.author: Lond, Benjamin; Quincey, Kerry; Apps, Lindsay; Darlison, Liz; Williamson, I. R. dc.description.abstract: Objective: Mesothelioma is a life limiting cancer caused by previous exposure to asbestos. Due to the continued use of asbestos products internationally, the condition presents an increasing risk to global health with case numbers peaking in industrially developed nations. With the cancer reducing patient well-being, this study aimed to synthesises the qualitative findings of studies exploring the experiences of patients living with mesothelioma to generate new conceptual insights and guide therapeutic care. Method: Thirteen databases were systematically searched: Academic Search Premier, BioMed Central, British Nursing Database, CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Library, Europe PubMed Central, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, Science Direct, Scopus, Social Care Online, and Web of Science, between August and September 2020. Included articles were subject to quality appraisal using CASP checklists, and their respective findings analysed using a meta-ethnographic form of qualitative data synthesis. Results: Twenty-two articles met the inclusion criteria, and the data synthesis produced three themes: (1) ‘complex trauma’; (2) ‘psycho-behavioural coping strategies’; and (3) ‘external sources of support’. Combined, these themes form a novel conceptual framework and awareness of the patient experience that presents the lived trauma of disease alongside a patients coping processes and support pathways. Conclusion: Robust therapeutic support is needed to address the psychosocial and existential burden shouldered by people with mesothelioma. Therapies which promote sentiments of acceptance, hope and benefit finding are proposed alongside initiatives that foster patient empowerment and meaning, and further promote patient choice in deciding end-of-life care. Recommendations for future research are also made. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
  • Unanticipated voices? Reflections from our ongoing ‘adventures’ with participant-authored photography, interviewing and interpretative phenomenology
    dc.title: Unanticipated voices? Reflections from our ongoing ‘adventures’ with participant-authored photography, interviewing and interpretative phenomenology dc.contributor.author: Williamson, I. R.; Quincey, Kerry; Lond, Benjamin J; Papaloukas, Periklis dc.description.abstract: Using participant-authored photography to inform and complement the collection of interview data is increasingly popular in Psychology but reflective accounts of issues faced by researchers and participants remain scarce. We therefore present a critical commentary on some of the unexpected outcomes that have emerged during recent studies on health and disability which have employed this approach. Under the theme of ‘unanticipated voices’ we discuss some of the challenges we have experienced around data gathering, interpretation, presentation and dissemination. We consider methodological, theoretical and ethical challenges for this paradigm and some of the challenges involved in publishing this type of work. dc.description: open access article

View a full listing of Dr Williamson's publications and outputs.

Research interests/expertise

  • Critical/qualitative health psychology
  • Breastfeeding and infant nutrition
  • Chronic Illness
  • Social and cultural diversity
  • Lesbian and gay health and well-being
  • Eating disorders 

Dr Williamson has methodolgical expertise in interpretative phenomenological analysis, interviewing and audio-diaries and Q-methodology.

Areas of teaching

  • Health psychology
  • Qualitative research methods
  • Health inequalities
  • Social and cultural perspectives on health and well-being.

Qualifications

  • BA (Lancaster)
  • Postgraduate Diploma (Open)
  • PGCE (Leicester)
  • MSc (Manchester)
  • PhD (Huddersfield)

Courses taught

  • MSc Health Psychology
  • MSc Psychological Well-Being
  • BSc Psychology with Health Studies
  • BSc Psychology 

Membership of external committees

  • Expert member of the NHS Leicester Research Ethics Committee since May 2008.
  • Member of the Division of Health Psychology Training Committee since September 2012.

Membership of professional associations and societies

  • Chartered with the British Psychological Society and Member of the Society's Division of Health Psychology and Qualitative Methods Section.
  • Member of the International Society for Critical Health Psychology and the Midlands Health Psychology Network.
  • Member of the Islamic Studies Network.

Professional licences and certificates

Registered as a practitioner psychologist (speciality: health) with the Health Professions Council in July 2009 until June 2013.

Conference attendance

Williamson, I. & Sacranie, S. M. (2008, September).  Nourishment for body and soul: Exploring British Muslim mothers' accounts of breastfeeding (oral presentation).  British Psychological Society Qualitative Methods Section Inaugural Conference, Leeds, UK.

Williamson, I., Lyttle, S., Johnson, S. & Leeming, D. (2008, September). The benefits and drawbacks of using audio-diaries to capture lived experience: Participants' and researchers' views (Poster presentation). British Psychological Society Qualitative Methods Section Inaugural Conference, Leeds, UK.

Williamson, I. (2009, June).  Exploring accounts of breastfeeding experience among British Asian and white women. Association of Breastfeeding Mothers Annual Conference (Invited address) Leicester, UK.

Leeming, D., Williamson, I., Johnson, S. & Lyttle, S. (2009, September). ‘This is a natural thing, why can I not do this?’ :  The impact of early breastfeeding difficulties on first-time mothers.(Poster presentation). Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology Annual Conference, Newcastle, UK.

Johnson, S., Leeming, D., Lyttle,S.  &  Williamson, I. (2010, March).   Empowerment or regulation?  Exploring the implications of women’s perspectives on pumping and expressing milk. Breastfeeding and Feminism Symposium 2010: Informing Public Health Approaches Greensborough, North Carolina, US.

Johnson, S., Leeming, D., Lyttle, S. & Williamson, I. (2011, April). Being a good mother: Expressing breast milk as a way of negotiating the moral imperative that breast is best (oral presentation). Paper presented at the 7th Biennial Conference of the International Society of Critical Health Psychology, Adelaide, Australia, April.

Leeming, D., Williamson, I., Johnson, S. & Lyttle, S. (2011, June).  Becoming a breastfeeding mother :  An interactionist perspective (oral presentation).  Nutrition and Nurture in Infancy and Childhood: Bio-Cultural Perspectives. Grange-Over-Sands, UK.

Williamson, I., Song, J. & Lyttle, S. (2011, June). Developing undergraduate students’ skills in qualitative data analysis through the exploration of on-line Hajj diaries (oral presentation). Higher Education Academy Centre for Sociology, Anthropology and Politics Teaching Islam in the Social Sciences. Birmingham, UK.

Williamson, I., Quincey, K., Hodges, K., Mitchell, H., Fox, G., Ogbonna, M. & Wood, N. (2011, September). Exploring the experiences of informal primary carers for individuals with Parkinson's Disease in the UK [poster presentation].  British Psychological Society Division of Health Psychology Annual Conference, Southampton UK.

Fox, G. & Williamson, I. (2012, February). Living with an eating disorder: An exploration of the effects on a co-habiting relationship from both partners’ perspectives (oral presentation). Midlands Health Psychology Network Annual Conference, Coventry UK

Fox, G. & Williamson, I. (2012, August). “Always the two of us and then Anorexia”. Co-habiting couples’ accounts of living with eating disturbance (poster presentation). European Health Psychology Society Annual Conference, Prague, Czech Republic.

Williamson, I., Ogbonna, M. & Mitchell, H. (2012, August). “It was never an option not to breastfeed.” Exploring breastfeeding accounts of middle class Nigerian women (poster presentation). European Health Psychology Society Annual Conference, Prague, Czech Republic.

Consultancy work

Dr Williamson is currently working with Dr Scott Yates (De Montfort University) and, Dr Rachel Westacott and Professor John Feehally (University Hospitals Leicester) on a mixed methods project looking at self-efficacy and self-management of young people with Chronic Kidney Disease, funded by NHS Kidney Care.

Current research students

Dr Williamson is supervising a PhD student on a project relating to lesbian and gay sexual health and well-being with Dr Julie Fish.

Externally funded research grants information

2012 NHS Kidney Care with Dr Rachel Westacott and Professor John Feehally (UHL) and Dr Scott Yates (DMU)

Professional esteem indicators

Dr Williamson has reviewed for several funding organisations including the Economic and Social Research Council, British Academy and National Institute of Health Research.

Dr Williamson has reviewed for publishing houses such as Sage and Open University Press. He has reviewed articles for numerous journals including International Journal of Men’s Health, Sex Roles, International Journal of Social Research Methodologies, European Eating Disorders Review and Critical Public Health.